I learned something new while researching this capo, yes I do research and not just pull the whole thing out of my butt. At least most of it any ways…

capo (short for capotasto, Italian for “head of fretboard”)

I had no idea that capo was short for something, I guess you can learn new things when you get old!!
Any who…I actually was able to convince G7th to give me this capo at NAMM 2011 and I figured I should actually write about it instead of just keeping it around staring at me all accusingly like.
A capo is a capo is a capo right? well I don’t know, this one is very different from the others I have used. For many years I used one of those spring loaded ones, kind of like a clothes pin design, and it worked fine. I have also had the elastic kinds to when I played more guitar. Both worked, but you had very little control of how hard they squeezed the neck and fret board.
This is different since it has no springs and you can put it on at whatever pressure you choose, and that is most defiantly different than any other I know of, at least for a ukulele.

So you know this is sold as a banjo capo, so when you go searching for one you will not be driven crazy looking for the ukulele version.

First look: (5) It looks like a little bird skull, I like that in a sick way. It is very sleek and looks very well made. When it is on a uke it also looks really nice and almost hidden from the front view

Fit and Finish: (5) I have had this for a year sitting on my desk. I play with it all the time, by that I mean I am opening and closing it and pulling on it, and it has not broken yet. Since it is heavy it seems to be built really strong. No failures yet.

Sound:

Sound Type: I found that it does not change the sound, except pitch. I was a little worried since it had pretty soft rubber.

Intonation: (Depends) You can mess with intonation. if you press it to tight it will throw some ukes off. That being said, that is the best feature. you can make it as tight or soft as you need it to be

Sustain: (Depends) Seemed to not do anything to sustain.

Feel:

String Height: (Low) since it will bring the strings down to the fretboard the strings are super low the closer you get to the capo.

Neck RadiusDepth: (1.5″) it can accommodate a 1.5″ thick neck. Most are less than 1″ at the thickest.

Tuning: (No) I would say no to tuning with it on. it has no way for the strings to slide under, like some capos that use rubber wheels per string.

Comfort: (3) This thing is heavy for its size, but once on the ukulele it is fine. My issue is that it can be a little bulky to play with when you need to get to frets near it. I have to angle it a little to make it so that I am not moving it to much. I may have big hands to.

Smell: Rubber and Metal Plating.

Final Thoughts

Someone said to me when I told them that the capo retails at $40 “I paid less for my first ukulele than that capo!!” Granted that is a low end uke, it does say something about how much it is, but………..You get what you pay for. This is a heavy duty, road ready capo. I am going to buy one when this one leaves my house (It goes to the winner of the Going Acoustic Ukulele Challenge)
Truly a nice capo that I have really enjoyed having in my case when I was too lazy to switch keys of a song, or it just was too hard to play in a key that sounded good with my voice. Take it or leave it. for some it is worth the money, for others they may have a hard time justifying the cost.

For the first time I tried using an elastic capo on my tenor uke. But it moved too easily when my hand bumped it reaching for the near frets and it stood out so much that I bumped it frequently. This unit looks like it would be a much better tool, but $40 is a bit pricey for an occassional use item.
Very nice review by the way.

It looks wonderful….I just don’t see myself spending the money on it. I’ve had my Keyser for years and the spring is still plenty strong…fits a bari without issue, and the pocket uke without smushing things…. And i think you can pick one up for 10 bucks… But that does look like a super nice capo….It looks like something that might also open wine bottles….if so, i’m sold

What annoys me about my Dunlop clamp-type capo is that it’s prone to springing out of your hand when you’re playing it, which when your hands are shaking during a gig, isn’t ideal, especially with a close front row.

Be careful if you’re using eBay like me, as there’s guitar versions as well as banjo & mandolin capos, the latter of which are ideal for ukes.